This invention relates to a method for treating a fabric which comprises applying an aqueous solution containing at least an amido-phosphazene compound and an acid catalyst to a fabric containing cellulosic fiber at an application amount of the amido-phosphazene compound of 1-10% by weight and then subjecting it to drying, curing and soaping and the fabric comprising cellulosic fibers obtained by said method which has a soft hand and is very small in shrinkage after repeated washings and is non-formaldehyde type.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,782,133 discloses a flameproofing of cellulosic articles with a water-soluble substance obtained by reacting chlorophosphazene with anhydrous ammonia, but makes no mention of improvement of progressive shrinkage of fabrics containing cellulosic fibers using a small amount of an amido-phosphazene compound.
There have been employed methods for improving progressive shrinkage of fabrics containing cellulosic fibers with aminoplast resin treating agents such as urea-formaldehyde, melamine-formaldehyde, methylated methylolmelamine, dimethylolethyleneurea, dimethyloluron, tetramethylolacetylenediurea, dimethylol triazone, trimethylolmelamine, etc. or glyoxal resin treating agents. However, it is well known that thus obtained fabrics liberate formaldehyde to cause skin troubles.
Recently, non-formaldehyde resins have been sold for avoiding these troubles, but these resins are less in effect of preventing shrinkages caused by repeated washings.
Fabrics containing cellulosic fibers have the defect of so-called progressive shrinkage which means gradual increase of shrinkage with increase of the number of washing and improvement in the progressive shrinkage has been desired.